Train-control system



TRAIN CONTROL SYSTEM Filed April 29. 1925 a Ankh INVENTOR .f'eier 14 A1081? e1- BY Q m ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 22, 1927.

. P U I rn'rnn WrMOjSHER, or STOOKTON,ICALIFO3NIA.' I

'rimm-con'rnon SYSTEM.

Application filed. April; as, 192 25. ,s ria N5. 26,689;

This inuentionvrelates to improvements in railway equipment, and especially to auto matic electric. setting systems of the normally closed circuit type,in which the open:

ing of the circuit causes the brakes to he applied, such opening occurring undercersv tain operating conditions, as hereinattcr seen.

The system of my present invention is in corporated in connection with the ordinary block signal system and is installable 0.11v

eachvtrackiof a double trackroad, or it may be also employed on ,single.tr@ack ra lways, The principalobject of any-invention 1.8

to provide normally closed circuits on the difi'erent engines," arrange a track. circuit which controls the opening of they engine- 'circuit itself, and lnterpose connect-ions between the semaphores oi the blOCliQSlg'l'lill system and said track circuit in such a manner that the brakes on;;an engine er e175 ing the block 111 wh ch the semaphore 1- set against'the engine willhe automaticall set regardless of anytrain ahead;

'Atth same i i le' h f k head train fails to set the semaphonethe;

presence of such ,train in the block will cause a, brake application to be made on any'tram entering the block past the inoperative semaphore. I

while the automatically actuated block sig nal semaphores, as at present used, will cause an automatic stoppingof atrain to benefiec ted, if the train passes ;asemaphore 1 set against it, at the same time the-failure of the map re mi ed- 91, w l wheth r the t rerationof my system if another train is in,- a e l ck ah ad of th i' emarh re- Off course if the semaphore is downand there is notrain in the block ahead the brakes; on a train then entering the block ;.will nat+- urally not be set, since 'theltrackis clean-1 These objects I accomplish means of such, structure and relative, arr-angernent ct parts as will fully appear: by a perusal of the following specification andclaims;

get out of said block as, soon as- Therefore, with my improved system,

The. m n thedrawing is a diagram.- matic plan of my improved system shown on a one-way track with twoadjacent semaphores of a -block system and indicating two trains, one between the semaphores and the other just; entering the block; the rearsemaphore having been set by the head train.

Referring now more particularly to the.

(so-L characters of reterenceon the drawings, the V numerals 1 and 2 denote the rails of each track insulated fromeach other but continuous betwee-nadjacent semaphores S and S at which points they are also insulated from the corresponding railstherebeyondat both a ends. a 1

Adjacent the semaphores are third] rail lengths?) insulating from the main railsand from each other; At each semaphoreis 10-" I 'cated .apair of spaced leads .4: Var- 015. h

lead 4: is connected toz the rail l'on one side of the insulationbrcak while lead 5 connects The lead 5 also has a lead 6 coimected-there to the rail 1 on the other side of said break.

to and exte ndingc;to the; third rail 3, with a battery? interposed therein, 7 This battery] :may' bethat used to operate thesemaphore if desired, or it jm'ay be an individual unit,

j Eachsemaphore'arm 8, isconniected to a i SWltQlL or -contactmember 9 arranged WllI1'- he s maph reis e 91: rais d to hor zont position to bridge acrossthedeads 4-and 5'; I

lVhen, the Semaphore arm is down or in the clear -c position, sa'idmemher 9V is spaced from saidleadsas showna i f Leadsll): extend from therail sections 2 centrally their length between the seniaphores to a. common-continuous lead 111 formed-as awire supported fronnthe usual pole line found alongside the tracks.

The for g ngf rms he S anding-or n ck circuit arrangement usable in connectipn with the engine circuits nowto be described; In such description I only show themain' features of-such circuitssince theedditionalfeatures, suc h as'visible or audiblesignals,

hand] operated switches and the like, do not;

affect the voperation of the system itself.-" A

In the figure I have indicated twocen'gines A and B-travelling in-the same direction or from leftto right on the drawing.

or contact le adapted toengageithe third rail 3 and insulatedfrom the wheels and the remainderi of the engine, A lead l5 is con-' nected to on'e wheel and leadsto one terminal it Each engine has lead wheels 4131 and. a shoe and leads to 17 and the parts therebe-- tween is therefore normally closed regardless of the third rail or shoe causing the magnet 16 to be normally energized. It is to be noted that while the current normally passes through the circuit breaker it does not trip or throw the same, since the strength of the single battery 18 is insufficient to overload the circuit breaker to the extent necessary to cause it to throw.

The armature 20 of the magnet is therefore normally held thereagainst, said armature being suitably connected to the operating lever or handle 21 of the air brake valve- 22, which under the above conditions is closed. A spring 23 of insuflicient strength to overcome thepull of the magnet tends to move the armature away from the same. If the circuit is broken from any cause intentionally or otherwise, the inagiietwvill be.

tie-energized and the spring will then act to move the armature and'set'the brakes.

" Between the magnet 16 and circuit breaker 19, a lead 24 is connected to the lead 15,

which lead 24 extends to one terminal of a magnet 25 disposed in opposed relation to the magnet16 and adapted to also act on the armature 20. The'lead 26 from the other terminal of the magnet 25 is connected to'the shoe 14. This forms a shunt, avoiding the magnet 16 while retaining the battery 18 in the circuit, The magnet 25 may be omitted if desired but its use enables quicker action on the armature to be had than if the spring 23 alone were depended on.

In thefigure it is assumed that the engine A has set the semaphore S when passing by the same. This is done by the front wheel of the engine passing over the adjacent main rail break and causing the usual semaphore vention.

actuating circuit to be broken, an operation which raises the semaphore and with my improved system causes a connection to be made between the leads 4. and 5. Since block signal systems are now commonly used on practically all railroads, and the means used to operate the semaphore arms are well known to those skilled in the art, itappears unnecessary to show or describe such means,

especially 7 since the particular semaphore no part of my in-' raising mechanism forms In order to insure that the brakes will not then be applied to the engine setting the semaphore the length of the rail 3 beyond the insulation break in the direction of move ment of the engine, is shorter than the distance fromthe front wheels 13 to the shoe 14, which is atthe extreme front end of the both batteries 7 and 18 are included, causing the circuit breaker 19 to throw and break the circuit through the magnet 16 thereby releasing the arm 20. At the same time the magnet 25'will be energized acting in cona junction with the spring 23 to -move the armature and make forcible application of the brakes; I This circuit may be traced from the battery 7, along the lead 6 to and across the member 9, along the lead 4 to the rail 1,, through the wheels 13 to the lead 15', through the battery 18 to the circuit breaker, along the lead 24, through the magnet 25 to and along the lead26 to the shoe 14, rail 3, and back to the battery 7 through lead 6. This will cause the magnet 25 to be energized as above stated. At the sametime the double strength of the two batteries, passing through the circuit breaker, causes the same to throw and deenergize the magnet 16. The

current from thebattery 7 passes along the lead 15 to the battery 18 to add its strength thereto, rather than passing along the lead 17 toward the magnet 16 to buck'said battery 18, because the former passageoffers less resistance to the flow ofithe current than the passage in whichrthe magnet is interposed. As soon as the shoe 14 clears the rail 3 this latter circuit will be broken and the original circuit again closed provided of course the engineer sets'the circuitbreaker by hand, as is necessary. The brakes will not then be released, however, as the distance to which the armaturehas moved is too great for the magnet 16 to then exert any positive influence on said armature. The brakes can only be released by turning the handle 21 to p a the off position by hand, when the armature Wlll be moved to within the sphere of influence of the magnet 16 and will be then engaged and held by the latterready for While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of. the;

device,'still in practice such deviations from I claim as new and useful and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

1. An automatic brake setting system for railway vehicles including with a normally closed electric brake holding circuit on each vehicle, said circuit including a source of current and an overload circuit breaker therein; a block-signal system, having spaced and movable semaphore arms, a track side circuit having a source of current therein, means whereby if the arm is moved and a vehicle passes the same the strength of the two sources of current will be united in a common circuit to cause the overload circuit breaker to throw, and means whereby such 2. An automatic brake setting system for railway vehicles including with a normally closed electric brake holding circuit on each vehicle, said circuit including a source of current and an overload circuit breaker therein; a track circuit having an independent source of current therein, means incorporated with said track circuit whereby if two Vehicles are within a certain distance of each other and travelling in'the same direction the strength of the sources of current of the track side circuit and that of the rear vehicle will be united to cause the circuit breaker, on the rear vehicle to throw, and means whereby such operation will cause a brake application to be made on such rear vehicle'without affecting the vehicle ahead. In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

PETER W. MOSHER. 

